The delay came against a backdrop of unremitting violence that has killed about
40 military personnel in 10 days, and new Al-Qaeda warnings that the United States and Britain risked more death and
destruction if they do not leave Iraq and other Muslim
lands.

"The meeting of leaders was delayed from today to Sunday in order to allow
for a greater number of participants to attend as a large number of people had
not received invitations," a spokesman at President Jalal Talabani’s
office said.

Talabani had called the meeting to break the deadlock on a new constitution and
resolve outstanding questions which constitutional committee members have so
far failed to agree.

The issues include federalism, official languages, the relation between
religion and state, the name of the republic, the rights of women and the
question of the oil-rich centre of Kirkuk which Kurds want
included in their own autonomous region.

Iraqi leaders have pledged to draft a new constitution by August 15 ahead of a
referendum in mid-October, to be followed by elections in mid-December and the
inauguration of a new government at the start of 2006.

Mahmud Othman, a Kurdish member of the constitutional committee, told AFP the
national conference was delayed because of an emergency meeting Saturday of the
Kurdish autonomous parliament to discuss the charter.

"The leadership in Kurdistan asked for the Kurdish
committee members to come back and explain to our parliament what has been
discussed in Baghdad," said Falah
Mustafa, a spokesman for Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party.

"We are worried about comments from some on the committee regarding
federalism, Kurdish rights, democracy and women’s rights," Adnan Mufti,
head of the Kurdish regional parliament and senior official of Talabani’s
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party told AFP from Arbil.

He said the Kurds are ready to endorse the charter "if all parties
understand that a constitution should be based on rights for all Iraqis, if not
we cannot reach an agreement."

"We are insisting on federalism, there is no way to have a unified Iraq without
federalism."

Mufti hoped others in Baghdad would accede to
Kurdish federalist demands, but said three issues could be problematic -- the
future of Kirkuk, the name of Iraq and the role of
Islam.

"We want Islam to be a main source of legislation, but not the main
source," Mufti said. "Iraq is a country for all
-- Christians and Yezidis, as well as Sunni and Shiite."

The conference is due to report back by August 12, and any matters still
unresolved will be put to the full parliament for decision by majority vote.

Iraq will be a
parliamentary republic with a strong prime minister and a figurehead president,
according to the latest draft of the constitution.

There has been no let-up in insurgent violence, with some 40 US military personnel
killed in the last 10 days, one of the deadliest tolls for the Americans since
the March 2003 invasion.

Wednesday was one of the worst days for US forces as 18 troops were killed in
various attacks across Iraq, 14 of them in a
single roadside bombing.

Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, aired a new threat warning
the United States and its allies of
more death and destruction in a video broadcast on Al-Jazeera television.

"The Americans... will see horror that would make them forget the horror
they saw in Vietnam," Zawahiri said.

US President George W. Bush said Al-Qaeda wanted to drive the United States and its allies out
but he vowed to "stay the course."

"We will complete the job in Iraq," he said.
"And the job is this: We will help the Iraqis develop a democracy."

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari on Thursday unveiled a new security plan
to take on the insurgents, after 21 Iraqis were killed that day.